Fuel dispensing terminal and proxy system and method of redundancy

ABSTRACT

A fueling station payment system having a fuel pump dispensing fuel to individual customers; a forecourt controller; a terminal disposed within said fuel pump, said terminal comprising a processing unit, a secure card reader, an encryption module and a wireless communication module; said terminal being in wireless communication with a payment processor such that encrypted secure payment information is transmitted between said terminal and said payment processor; said terminal being in wireless communication with the cloud such that encrypted secure payment information is transmitted between said terminal and said cloud; one or more point of sale systems which communicate with said forecourt controller using established protocols; and a gateway device, wherein said terminal communicates wirelessly with said gateway device, and wherein said terminal and said forecourt controller communicate with each other through said gateway device, and wherein said gateway device communicates with said forecourt controller using said established protocols of said point of sale systems.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to service or fueling stationsat which fuel is dispensed. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to a fueling station transaction or payment system thatretrofits with existing fuel pump peripherals. Retail fuelingenvironments usually include a plurality of fuel dispensers or fuelpumps located in a forecourt area outside of a convenience storebuilding. Typically, the fuel pumps will each be equipped withpay-at-the-pump capability so customers can perform fueling transactionsusing a user interface on the respective fuel pump. For example, thecustomer can present a credit or debit card using a card readerinstalled on the fuel pump's user interface to pay for the fuel withoutentering the convenience store. Internally, the pumps typically containflow meters, pulsers, control electronics, valves, manifolds, andinternal piping. Many of these components are subject to regulatoryrequirements to maintain a high degree of accuracy.

Accepting payment cards as a method of payment subjects various fuelpump components to security standards and regulations promulgated by thePayment Card Industry (“PCI”) and/or EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa).These standards were created in an attempt to prevent fraud and othersecurity issues that arise due to the acceptance of payment cards andthe transmission of sensitive information associated with the paymentcards, such as account number, account holder information, and personalidentification numbers (“PIN”). Generally speaking, these standards andrequirements must be met by both software and hardware components usedto receive, store, transmit, or otherwise handle the sensitiveinformation. This is also known as PCI compliance.

Existing retail fueling environments (as shown in prior art FIG. 1 )provide an integrated system that enables fuel dispensing payment bothin-store and pay at the pump. For in-store payments, each fuelingstation has a convenience store 10, also known as a C-store, forcustomers to interact with an attendant and pay for fuel or purchaseother convenience store items, such as food, drinks or sundries. TheC-store 10 can also be a kiosk or small enclosure that does not permitcustomer entry, with customer service provided via a window ortransaction counter. Convenience stores utilize payment systems thathave a back office system 20, one or more point of sale (POS) systems 30and a forecourt controller 40.

The back office system 20 includes hardware and software that providesaccounting, inventory, record management and other back office andconvenience store operations and management services. In one embodiment,the back office system 20 has a server and one or more personalcomputers or terminals for employee access and use. The back officesystem 20 may also be cloud-based or located off-site and providesemployees with remote access via a network, such as the Internet and orthrough personal computers or portable electronic devices. The backoffice system 20 communicates with each POS system 30 and with theforecourt area via a forecourt controller 40, each of which is discussedbelow. In another embodiment, the back office system 20 may be locatedpartially on-site and partially in the cloud 99 where it may be accessedvia a network, such as the Internet. The back office system 20 may trackand provide management of POS system transactions, such as fuel, food,drink and goods purchases at the convenience store 10.

The convenience store 10 may have one or more POS locations forcustomers to make their purchases. A POS system 30 may include anelectronic cash register (ECR) 31 for processing the purchase, trackinginventory and handling cash transactions.

Each electronic cash register 31 also provides for card paymenttransactions, such as Visa, Mastercard or payment by debit cards. Forthese types of payments, each point of sale system 30 includes a securecard reader (SCR) 32 for reading payment card information, whether viathe card's magnetic strip, EMV, near field communication (NFC) or otherform of contactless payment. Each POS system 30 may also have a PIN padterminal (EPP) 33 for PIN entry in connection debit card transactions,or the entry of other information by a customer, such as their zip code,gratuities or payment confirmation information. In many cases, thesecure card reader 32 and PIN pad terminal 33 are integrated into asingle device, referred to as a payment terminal or payment device, thatalso includes a display screen, magnetic card reader and card insert forprocessing EMV card transactions. Each secure card reader 32 maycommunicate the payment card information to the electronic cash register31 and back to the back office system 20 for card payment processing.Alternatively, the point of sale system 30, by either the electroniccash register 31 or card reader unit 32, or by a payment device, maycommunicate directly with a third party payment processor 98 to obtainauthorization of the card payment transaction. The system transmits tothe payment processor the credit card number, the PIN, and other blockand transaction information, including pre-authorization and postauthorization. For enhanced security, in one form of a PCI compliantsystem, for example, no PCI information is shared with the back officesystem 20 and, instead is communicated directly by the secure POS system30, or its payment device, to the payment processor 98. Only non-PCIpayment transaction data is shared with the back office system 20.

These types of systems risk losing the ability to process card paymenttransactions if the communications connection is lost or interrupted.For example, if the payment device processes card payments directly withthe payment processor, then the ability of the fueling station to acceptcard payments will be interrupted if the payment device loses itscommunications connection to the payment processor. The interruption maybe caused by any number of factors, such as interference or a weaksignal if the communication is wireless, an error with the paymentdevices communications components or module, or a break or disconnectionif the connection was hard wired. Additional difficulties may arise ifthe connection is lost or interrupted during a fueling transaction.During commencement of a customer fueling transaction, the customerinserts or swipes a payment card into the payment device, and thepayment device obtains pre-authorization for the card paymenttransaction from the payment processor. Upon the customer's completionof fueling, the payment device completes the card payment transactionand obtains a post-authorization from the payment processor. If thecommunication is interrupted mid-fueling. The payment device may obtainpre-authorization without the ability to timely obtain the transactionspost-authorization.

The convenience store 10 also includes a forecourt controller 40 whichthrough direct communication lines 57 communicates with and serves as acontroller for each fuel pump 50 located in the outdoor forecourt area.Each fuel pump 50 includes a number of peripherals 51 for facilitatingpayment at the pump and fuel dispensing. As an example, many existingfuel pumps have a secure card reader 52, a PIN pad 53, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) device 54, a printer 55, a gas dispenser 56 and adisplay 58.

The display 57 provides information to customers about the fuelingstation and services, and instructions, status and updates for paymentand fuel dispensing. The secure card reader (SCR) 52, PIN pad (EPP) 53and near field communications 54 peripherals are similar to thosedescribed above and used as part of the POS system 30 with theelectronic cash register 31 within the convenience store 10. Becausethese peripherals 51 are located outside and are not regularly attendedby convenience store staff, they may include added security, such atamper-proof housing, and protective coverings or materials to protectagainst the elements. The fuel pump 50 may also include a printer 55 forgenerating receipts of payment transactions. Of course, the fuel pumpalso includes gas dispensers 56 for selecting the desired octane ratingfuel and dispensing the fuel into a vehicle.

In many existing and legacy fuel pumps 50 each of these peripherals 51is “dumb” in nature, i.e., each of the peripherals 51 lacks a processorand is dependent upon the forecourt controller 40 to control theiractivities. The forecourt controller 40 serves as a controller for eachfuel pump 50 and its peripherals 51 and as an intermediary between eachPOS system 30 and the fuel pumps 50. The forecourt controller 40 mayalso facilitate card payment transactions for the fuel pumps 50.

In a conventional fueling station, the forecourt controller 40 controlsthe peripherals 51 of each fuel pump 50. With respect to the secure cardreader 52 and PIN pad 53, the forecourt controller 40 may control whenthey are activated to read a magnetic card strip or accept a keypadentry. In other situations, the forecourt controller 40 may place themor itself into a listening mode that initiates a payment transaction orother activities when activated by a customer, such as by swiping a cardor pressing one or more of the PIN pad keys. The secure card reader 52and PIN pad 53 transmit the customer input to the forecourt controller52, which then facilitates payment with the payment processor 98. Theforecourt controller 40 may also control the display 58, communicatingto the display 58 what information will be shared with the customer.Upon completion of an accepted or declined payment transaction, theforecourt controller 40 communicates and controls the printer 55 toprint receipts.

The forecourt controller 40 also controls the gas dispensers 56. As anexample, depending upon the fuel octane rating selected by a customer,the forecourt controller 40 will activate the appropriate fuel lines orpumps to deliver the selected gasoline to the customer's vehicle. It mayalso monitor the flow rates, number of gallons pumped, and when to startand stop the pumping cycles. The forecourt controller 40 processes andcoordinates this information to provide the customer a display of theamount of fuel pumped, real time pricing, and then use that informationto facilitate card payment at the fuel pump 50. As can be seen from theforegoing summary, the forecourt controller 40 directs and coordinatesthe activities of each fuel dispenser peripheral 51.

As explained above, the forecourt controller 40 processes card paymenttransactions made at the fuel pumps 50 for customers paying at the pump50. To accomplish this, the forecourt controller 40 communicates withthird payment processors 99. As part of this system, the forecourtcontroller 40 and each POS system 30 (or electronic cash register 31 orpayment device) must be certified to communicate and engage intransactions with a third party payment processor 98. This is acertification for communicating between the fuel station's paymentsystems and the payment processor 98. The peripheral devices 51 are notindividually certified and depend upon the forecourt controller 40 forthese services. All requests and responses to and from the forecourtcontroller 40 to the payment processor 98 must match. This setup,configuration and certification requires software and the creation ofscripts (rule writing). Depending upon the types of card payments thatmay be accepted (VISA, MasterCard, Discover or AMEX), and the methods ofacceptable payment (magnetic strip, EMV, contactless payment and NFC),certification may be complex.

To process card payments, the forecourt controller is dependent upon itscommunication connection to the payment processor. If that connection islost or interrupted, customers are unable to use payment cards topurchase and pump fuel. Additional issues may arise if thecommunications between the forecourt controller and the paymentprocessor are interrupted during a fueling transaction. As explainedabove, this may occur if the forecourt controller obtainspre-authorization from the payment processor and a customer commencesfueling, but that connection is lost before the fueling transaction iscompleted and before a post-authorization has been requested or obtainedby the forecourt controller.

The forecourt controller 40 also communicates with the various POSsystems 30 for customers paying inside for the fuel dispensing. Eachelectronic cash register (ECR) 31 is capable of initiating a fuel pumptransaction, with payment using the electronic cash register's paymentdevice and then communicating with the forecourt controller 40 to assignthe outdoor pump 50 and effectuate the transaction and fuel pumping.Alternatively, the forecourt controller 40 may communicate with the backoffice system 20 which receives communications from each POS system 30.Accordingly, the forecourt controller 40 is a critical component of fuelstation operation whether a customer pays inside or outside at the pump50. When payment is inside, the point of sale system 30 handles thepayment processing and communicates with the forecourt controller 40 tofacilitate the fuel dispensing. When payment is made at the pump 50, theforecourt controller 40 handles the payment processing and the fueldispensing.

All of these components, the back office system 20, each point of salesystem 30 and the forecourt controller 40 may communicate using anyconventional means, whether as part of a local area network (LAN), awide area network (WAN) and including wired, wirelessly or via a cloudbased solution in communication with each component.

Many if not most of the current fuel station payment systems are weak interms of payment security, as the technology has surpassed theircapabilities. Many existing and legacy fuel pumps 50 include secure cardreaders 52 and PIN pad 53 peripherals that are limited to processingcard payments using prior or outdated technology. As an example,existing fuel pumps 50 were implemented and installed prior to adoptionof EMV cards, contactless payment and/or the use of NFC for Apple Pay,Google Pay and other smartphone payment methods. Since the peripherals51 in existing fuel pumps 50 are dumb and controlled by the forecourtcontroller 40, current replacement solutions require replacement orupdates to the various peripherals 51 and updates and modifications tothe existing forecourt controller 40 that controls them. Other knownsolutions require replacement of the entire system, which may includethe fuel pumps 50, the underground fuel tanks, the peripherals 51, thecomplete back office system 20, forecourt controller 40 and each POSsystem 30.

Replacing existing equipment is costly and time consuming. As anexample, fuel station owners may operate multiple fueling stationlocations that utilize different fuel pumps 50, peripherals 51, backoffice systems 20 and POS systems 30 at each locations. Equipment andsoftware may have been purchased and installed at different times, orthe stations acquired from pre-existing businesses who selected andinstalled different equipment. Additionally, a station's various fueldispensing islands may have been added or built over different periodsof time and incorporate different technologies. Accordingly, fuelstations and fuel pumps 50 may utilize different hardware, software andfuel dispensing peripherals 51, which increases the complexity ofupgrading them.

Replacing an existing fuel station's fuel dispensing systems withup-to-date EMV and other card payment technologies can be costly andtime consuming. The costs for system replacement can reach five hundredthousand dollars for a single fuel station and require weeks of stationdowntime resulting in revenue losses. The gas pumps 50 and forecourtcontroller 40 communicate with the station's underground tanks andassociated pumps and controller components, which must also be replacedin connection with new pumps 50 and the forecourt controller 40. Theextent of these replacements requires complete station shutdown duringimplementation and replacement of the fuel dispensing system. The costsand extent of this transition makes the process irreversible. The newsystem results in purchaser lock-in. A fueling station that isunsatisfied with a new system cannot rollback or reverse the decisionwithout undergoing another significant capital expenditure and weeks ofstation downtime.

In many cases replacing some of the station's components is also not areasonable alternative. Simply replacing existing secure card readers 52and PIN pad 53 peripherals with EMV compatible equipment will not solvethe problem because of certification requirements. As explained above,the forecourt controller 40 and each point of sale system 30 must becertified to work with the payment processor 98. The more recentimplementation and requirements for Euro pay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV)adds another layer of complexity to this certification requirement.Certification to process EMV transactions (not including contactlesspayment or NFC) may take two or more years to complete the certificationprocess. In comparison, the number of scripts needed to implement EMVincreases from approximately forty scripts and rule writing for magneticcard strip processing to over forty thousand for EMV card paymentprocessing.

Additionally, as part of the payment processing, the EMV credit card andcard reader communicate with each other, and the payment processor 98,and the card company. Under the existing system for magnetic strip cardpayment processing, all communications are with the payment processor98. There are other certification requirements as well, such as witheach card brand (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and AMEX), and with paymentapplication developers. The certifications also differ depending onwhether payment is made via contact or contactless card payment.

Replacing some of the station's components or peripherals is also not areasonable alternative for other reasons. Different fuel dispenserperipherals use different standards for communication, connectivity andcabling. The secure card reader 52, PIN pad 53 and other peripherals 51may connect and communicate with the forecourt controller 40 usingvarious and differing cabling standards, such as Ethernet, USB, RS232,and RS485. Replacement equipment must be compatible with the existingcabling or a complete station re-wiring may be necessary.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and system forupdating and retrofitting existing fueling station systems that addressand eliminate the problems discussed above. It is an object to providesuch a system and method comprising two primary components: (1) a smartterminal that is inserted into each fuel pump, which replaces at leastthe existing secure card reader and possibly additional existingperipherals, and which encrypts payment information for wirelesstransmission; and (2) an in-store gateway device that interfaces withthe forecourt controller and wirelessly communicates with each smartterminal.

It is an object of this invention to provide in such system back-up andredundant systems for processing card payment transactions in the eventone or more forms of communication between one or more of the variouscomponents and a payment card network or payment processor are down orinterrupted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In brief summary, in certain embodiments the invention is a fuelingstation payment system comprising a fuel pump or multiple fuel pumpsdispensing fuel to individual customers; a forecourt controller; aterminal disposed within the fuel pump, the terminal comprising aprocessing unit, a secure card reader, an encryption module and awireless communication module; the terminal being in wirelesscommunication with a payment processor; one or more point of salesystems which communicate with the forecourt controller usingestablished protocols; and a gateway device, wherein the terminalcommunicates wirelessly with the gateway device, and wherein theterminal and the forecourt controller communicate with each other onlythrough the gateway device, and wherein the gateway device communicateswith the forecourt controller using the established protocols of thepoint of sale systems. In other words, the gateway device is structuredsuch that the forecourt controller communicates with the gateway devicein the same manner as it communicates with the point of sale devices,i.e., to the forecourt controller the gateway device is in effect nodifferent from a point of sale device. The payment processing isaccomplished solely via encrypted secure payment informationtransmissions between the terminal and the payment processor. In thismanner installation of the system into existing fueling station paymentsystems can be accomplished without requiring any major changes to theforecourt controller or the overall payment system at a given fuelingstation. It is critical to the system that the terminals encrypt creditcard and other secure payment information prior to any communicationswith the payment processor in order to insure the security of the user'sinformation.

The present invention also provides back-up and redundant systems forprocessing card payment transactions in the event one or more forms ofcommunication between one or more of the various components and apayment card network or payment processor are down or interrupted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art fueling station system.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a fueling station system incorporating theterminal and gateway device of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the components of an embodiment of theterminal of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of the terminal of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of an embodiment of the terminal of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the components of an embodiment of thegateway device of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a fueling transactionincorporating the invention wherein the transaction is pre-authorized.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating a fueling transactionincorporating the invention wherein the transaction is pre-paid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in various embodiments comprises a method andsystem for updating and retrofitting a fueling stations, the systemcomprising a smart terminal 100 that replaces one or more of a fuelpump's existing peripherals 51 for accepting payment, payment processingand coordinating communication with the other components of the systemto facilitate fuel dispensing, and a gateway device, bridge or proxydevice 200 that interfaces with the existing forecourt controller 40 andcommunicates with the terminals 100, as shown in FIG. 2 . As an example,the terminal 100 of the present invention may comprise an integratedunit that replaces both the secure card reader 52 and PIN pad 53 of alegacy fuel dispensing system.

The invention provides several advantages over the prior art solutionsfor updating existing fuel stations with EMV and other card paymentreading equipment and peripherals. The terminal 100 does not require anynew or additional wiring, and it utilizes the existing wiring from thelegacy peripherals only for receiving power. The terminal 100 does notcommunicate directly with the forecourt controller 40. The terminal 100may incorporate several ports or adapters on its rear side to enable itto receive power from any of the different and commonly used peripheralcables and connectors, such as USB, RS232, RS485, and Ethernet. Theterminal 100 preferably has the same configuration as the peripheral 51that is replaced so as to fit into the same opening withoutmodification, metal cutting or modifications to the fuel pump 50 or itscasing or housing. Accordingly, the terminal 100 is not limited by thecommunication wiring or communication protocols of the legacyperipherals 51 or overall system. Each terminal 100 may be installed andoperational relatively quickly.

The present invention also eliminates the need to replace a fuelingstation's entire system. The present invention's terminals 100 may beinstalled and deployed in fuel pumps 50 on one island or even on asingle pump 50. Alternatively, the invention may be also incorporatedinto new fuel pumps 50 added to an existing fuel station. Station ownersmay roll-out the terminals 100 and present invention in a one or twopump pilot phase as part of the station's existing fuel dispensing andpayment system without risking issues with other fuel pumps 50 or acomplete station switch-over. Because the solution is limited to thereplacement of a few peripherals 51, the present invention avoids theneed to replace existing point of sale systems 30, electronic cashregisters 31, back office systems 20, forecourt controllers 40, andother devices, software, equipment and peripherals.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 through 5 , the terminal 100 maycomprise a number of components, disposed internally or externally, toperform the payment processing and interfacing with a customer at a fuelpump 50 including a display 101, a secure card reader 102, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) module 103, a contactless card reader 104, anencryption module 105, a camera 106, a processing unit or controller107, including RAM 107 a, ROM 107 b, and storage 107 c, a wirelesscommunications module 108, one or more antennae 109, and a power module110. The terminal 100 may also include a PIN pad 11, which is optionalif the display 101 is a touch screen.

The terminal 100 preferably incorporates into a single unit a number ofthe peripherals 51 that were previously installed and independentlyoperated under legacy fuel pumps 50. In one preferred embodiment, theterminal 100 has a built-in secure hybrid card reader (HCR) which iscapable of reading both magstripe (magnetic strip cards) and chip cardsfor use with EMV, a touch display that provides a virtual PIN pad andother data input, a contactless reader for NFC support, a contactlessreader for EMV contactless payment support, and a camera with supportfor facial recognition, quick response codes (QR Codes) scanning andsurveillance.

The terminal 100 includes a display 101 for displaying information atthe pump 50 to a customer, including information about the station,transaction information such as pricing, transaction and payment status,fuel dispensing information and instructions for using the fuel pump 50and making payment. The display 101 can be of any type with sufficientsecurity and protections for outdoor use. The display 101 may be touchsensitive for receiving input from the customer. In one embodiment, theterminal 100 uses a display with PIN-On-Glass technology to provide avirtual keypad which can be customized, but it is still secured with thesame hardware security module to protect the PIN and the key forencrypting the PIN. In an alternative embodiment, the display 101 is nottouch sensitive and a separate user input device may be used, such as aPIN pad 111. The terminal 100 may also provide both a touch sensitivedisplay 101 and the optional PIN pad 111 for those fuel stationoperators who prefer to have a physical keypad or both.

The secure card reader 102 of the present invention performs theservices of a POS payment terminal card reader 32. Various forms ofpayment cards and card readers 102 are in wide spread use. The cardreaders 102 read various forms of card payments, such as smart cards,contactless payment cards using RFID, checks with optical characters andmagnetic stripe cards. The magnetic stripe reader includes a slot intowhich a card is moved, for example, by hand past a reader (and possiblywrite head) to obtain the user and bank identification number.

Smart cards contain a microprocessor chip and memory and are capable ofstoring a far greater amount of information about participants in acommercial transaction. But the reader 102 for such a card is morecomplicated and requires that electrical contacts be made between thereader 102 and electrodes on the card, such as with EMV. The mostfamiliar of these readers 102 is of the insert type where a card isinserted into a slot where it resides during the transaction. The reader102 is capable of responding to the insertion of the card to ascertainthe information recorded there. In one instance, electrical contacts arepressed against an inserted card in positions to contact electrodes onthe card if such electrodes are present, such as with EMV cards. If noelectrodes are present, of course, no contact is made and the positionsof the contacts are irrelevant. The reader 102 also has a magnetic headpositioned to read a magnetic stripe if it is present. If a card is botha smart card and a magnetic stripe card, the reader 102 has the capacityto read information from both recording systems and to relay informationas appropriate. It is to be noted that magnetic stripe information iscaptured by moving a card with respect to a read head whereasinformation is obtained from a smart card over time while the card ismaintained in a stationary position. Consequently, a smart cardpresently is locked in position by a resident locking device while amagnetic stripe card is positioned under user control and not captured.

The card reader 102 may also provide functionality for contactlesspayments. Certain payment chip cards contain an embedded chip andantenna that facilitates contactless payment. A customer waves theircontactless card, or a fob or handheld device containing the paymentinformation, over the card reader 102 or another are of the terminal100. In a typical embodiment, the contactless payment card is requiredto be held within approximately three inches of the card reader 102 orterminal 100. The antenna allows the card's payment information to betransmitted to the terminal. The process may also include tapping thepayment card against the card reader 102 or terminal 100 and thegeneration of a cryptographic code that is unique to the payment cardand to the transaction is created. In sum, the card reader 102 is anydevice capable of reading payment card information, whethermagnetically, using a chip reader for EMV, wirelessly or using any otherconventional card reading technology for reading payment informationfrom all different types and forms of payment cards to receive theircard payment information. The contactless payment reader 104 may be acomponent of the secure card reader 102, a separate module, or acomponent of the near field communications (NFC) module 103.

It is understood that a number of the terminal's modules and componentsmay be combined or integrated with one another into fewer modules orsingle module. For credit card payments, such payment can be by readingthe magnetically coded information from the payment card's magneticstrip, or using a chip reader or other technology for utilizing EMV. Inone embodiment, the car reader 102 is a secure hybrid card reader (HCR)which is capable of reading both magstripe and chip card (for use withEMV), and also incorporates the PIN Pad, NFC contactless reader forsupport of EMV contactless, camera with support for facial recognition,QR Code scanning and surveillance.

As referenced above, the terminal 100 may also include an optional PINpad device 111 in communication with the one or more of the othercomponents of the terminal 100, such as the display 101, and terminalprocessing unit 107. The PIN pad device 111 contains a series of buttonsto enable a customer to enter information associated with a card paymenttransaction. The data entry may include a personal identification number(PIN), in the case of payment by a debit card, zip code or otherverifying information for credit card payments, or any other type ofinformation that may be required or necessary to facilitate a paymenttransaction.

The PIN pad device 111 securely transmits the input data to the terminalcontroller for further payment processing. For example, the inputted PINpad entries may be encrypted by the PIN pad before transmission to theterminal processing unit 107. In an alternative embodiment, thefunctions of the PIN pad 111 may be handled by the touch sensitivedisplay 101, which may display to the customer a virtual PIN pad orkeyboard for entry of the information via the display 101, in which caseno physical PIN pad 111 may be provided. Another embodiment may includea terminal 100 that allows both options to a customer, such that thecustomer's data may be entered by using either the display 100 and/orthe PIN pad 111. The terminal's camera 106 may include securityprotocols that disable the camera 106 during certain portions of thecustomer's interaction with the terminal 100 and fuel pump 50, such aswhen a customer enters information into the physical PIN pad 111 or avirtual PIN pad provided by the display 101. These restrictions preventrecording of a customer's PIN or other information entry. The camera 106may also be controlled or configured to take photographs of customers inconnection with their transactions for security or authenticationpurposes. In one alternative embodiment, the customer images may bestored or transmitted for facial recognition or other biometricauthentication or verification.

In addition to the camera 106, the terminal 100 may also includeadditional scanning modules for inputting or collecting other biometricdata, such as a fingerprint scanner, a retinal scanner, or any otherbiometric data that may be collected, stored or used for transactionauthenticate, verification or security.

The terminal 100 may also include a near field communication (NFC)reader 103 and a contactless card payment reader 104. The near fieldcommunication (NFC) contactless reader 103 provides support for EMVcontactless acquisition of payment card information, such as Apple Payor Google Pay. The contactless card reader 104 may facilitatecontactless payment by other means, such as RFID as explained above. Thenear field communication (NFC) reader 103 and contactless card paymentreader 104 may be separate modules, combined into a single module, orintegrated as part of other components or modules, such as the securecard reader 102.

The terminal 100 may include a camera 106 for providing security,surveillance, transaction monitoring and facilitating payment,promotions and data collection. For example, the camera 106 may beutilized to capture coupons, promotions, customer loyalty cards or otherdata or information relevant to the customer, the payment transaction orthe fuel dispensing process. As an example, the camera 106 may captureor scan QR Codes, bar codes or other similar technology. The camera 106is provided in a secure and weatherproof housing to protect againsttampering, the elements, weather and vandalism. The camera 106 may alsobe deactivated as part of security protocols, such as for certainprivacy concerns and to prevent the capture of customer entry of PINsand other information into a PIN pad 111 or a touch screen display 101.

The terminal 100 includes a processing unit 107 for controlling,managing and operating the terminal's components and providingprocessing and computing services for the terminal's operation andprocessing of card payment transactions. The processing unit 107 mayinclude one or more microprocessors and associated RAM 107 a for workingmemory, ROM 107 b containing firmware and instructions, and localstorage 107 c for storing payment, transaction information, and anyother data or information input, output, received or collected by theterminal 100. The processing unit 107 may include other circuitrynecessary for the operation of the terminal 100, and its modules andcomponents. This may include PIN entries, card payment information,payment processing and payment transaction information, recorded videoand photographs from the camera 106, and any other data or informationcollected in connection with the terminal's operation or use. Thestorage 107 c may be of any type, including flash memory, a hard drive,or additional RAM. The storage 107 c may be local or remote, such ascloud-based. Data and information stored in the terminal 100, andparticularly if stored remotely, may be encrypted by the encryption unit105.

The processing unit 107 also provides computing and processing forfacilitating payment card transactions. The processing unit 107 containsthe coding and instructions for controlling the display 101 andinformation shown to the customer, obtaining the card paymentinformation from the secure card reader 102, customer data entry via thePIN pad 111 or input from a touch-screen display 101, and the near fieldcommunication 103 and contactless payment 104 readers. The processingunit 107 may facilitate encryption of the information from theencryption module 105, or those components may also encrypt them byinterfacing directly with the encryption module 105. The processing unit107 stores transaction data for payment processing and communicatesdirectly with the third party payment processor 98 for facilitatingpayment, obtaining pre and post authorizations and other paymentprocessing functions. As explained above, certification is required forthe payment equipment. The processing unit 107 includes the paymentapplications for processing card payment and possesses thiscertification and contains the scripts and rules for all forms ofpayment, thereby eliminated the need for any peripherals 51 or theforecourt controller 40 to be certified for EMV, NFC or othercontactless payment certification. Because all payment processing andtransactions are made directly between the terminal 100 and the paymentprocessor 98, no additional certification or configuration is requiredfor the fuel dispenser's other peripherals 51, the forecourt controller40 or any devices, applications or peripherals of the convenience store10 or its back office system 20.

The processing unit 107 may also include a programmable input module forupdating the firmware, ROM or other coding of the terminal. This mayinclude a port, such as a USB port with added security protocols toavoid tampering. The terminal 100 and processing unit 107 may also beprogrammed remotely or wirelessly using the same communications methodsas those to communicate with the forecourt controller 40 or the paymentprocessor 98.

The processing unit 107 also communicates with the forecourt controller40, via the in-store gateway device 200, for controlling the otherperipherals 51 of the fuel pump 50, such as the gas dispensers 56,printer 55 or an existing display peripheral 58. As explained below, theterminal 100 communicates wirelessly, such as through the cloud 99, withan in-store gateway device 200, which serves as an intermediary betweenthe terminal 100 and the forecourt controller 40. The in-store gatewaydevice 200 is in communication with the forecourt controller 40 andprovides the necessary communications as if the fuel dispenser terminal100 were still in direct communication with the forecourt controller 40.Using this configuration, there is no need for direct communicationbetween the terminal 100 and the forecourt controller 40. Accordingly,installation and use of the terminal 100 will not requirere-programming, modification or replacement of a convenience store'sexisting forecourt controller.

As explained below, in operation the in-store gateway device 200communicates with the forecourt controller 40 using the same protocolsand interface as if it was facilitating a fuel dispensing transactionlike one of the convenience store point of sale systems 30, electroniccash registers 31 or payment devices for a pay inside fuel transaction.In an alternative embodiment, existing peripherals 51 may include theexisting display 58, the printer 55 and the gas dispensers 56. Theterminal processing unit 100 may coordinate the operation of thoseperipherals by communicating with the in-store gateway device 200 whichthen communicates with the forecourt controller 40 in the same manner asthe legacy and former peripheral equipment 51.

The terminal 100 includes an encryption module 105 for encrypting andsecurely storing and maintaining PCI data, such as payment cardinformation, payment transaction data and customer PINs and other dataentry. The encryption module 105 may be an independent module orincorporated within other modules, such as the processing unit 107 orsecure card reader 102. The encryption unit 105 stores one or moreencryption keys for encrypting information in connection with itsstorage and communication and transmission to the payment processor 98,the in-store gateway device 200 or other destinations, such as the cloud99. The encryption module 105 may also include additional securitymeasures to prevent tampering, such as opening or physically accessingthe encryption module 105, unauthorized access, and exposure to high orlow temperatures. Encryption of payment information is an essentialcomponent of the terminal 100 within the system as described, such thatthe user's credit card and/or other payment information is kept secure.

The terminal 100 includes a wireless communications module 108 forproviding communication services between the terminal 100 and thein-store gateway device 200, and between the terminal 100 and thirdparty payment processors 99 or the cloud 99. The communications module108 interfaces with the processing unit 107 to facilitate outbound andinbound communications. Communications between the terminal 100 and thein-store gateway device 200 are conducted wirelessly, such as via Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, 4G or any other wireless communication protocols or systems.The communications module 108 may use one or more antennae 109 forconducting wireless communications. The antenna 109 may be a separatemodule of the terminal 100 or incorporated into the communicationsmodule 108. In an alternative embodiment, the communications module 108and/or antennae 109 may be incorporated into the processing unit 107.

The communications module 108 may also communicate using other devicesthat provide network connectivity or connections to the in-store gatewaydevice 200 and/or a payment processor 98, such as a router or otherdevice that provides wireless communications or WAN or other network orinternet access.

The terminal 100 may also include a speaker or other form of audiooutput and an associated audio controller, either as a component of theterminal 100 or as part of the processing unit 107. The audio output mayprovide for voice instructions, music or uses, such as ADA compliance.Alternatively, the audio output could be a buzzer or other sound forproviding reminders or indicators to the customer, such as to removetheir payment card or positive or negative feedback based upon thesuccess or completion of a payment transaction.

The terminal 100 also includes a power module 110 for receiving power tooperate the terminal 100, including the processing unit 107 and itsother components and modules. The power unit 110 may be coupled with oneor more ports or adapters located on the terminal's housing forreceiving power from external power sources. As explained above, thelegacy and former peripherals 51 were physically connected to theforecourt controller using commonly used cabling, such as USB, MDB,RS232, RS485 and Ethernet. In one embodiment, the terminal only uses thepower and ground lines from the legacy cables. The terminal 100preferably has multiple ports and adapters for receiving any of theselegacy cable types for providing power and ground. This configurationalleviates concerns and compatibility with communications between theterminal 100 and the forecourt controller 40 because support for thelegacy line protocols is not required.

The terminal 100 may have one or more ports for receiving each of thesedifferent types of cables for power. It may also be equipped with fewerports and utilize adaptors, pigtails or other intermediary connectors.In another embodiment, the terminal 100 may receive power from anothersource, such as solar, rechargeable batteries, or from another powersupply, such as a tap into a power source utilized by the fuel pump 50or its other peripherals 51. By using only the power and ground linesfrom the existing fuel pump's legacy cabling, the terminal 100 can beeasily retrofit into the pump 50 without needing to support the legacycommunications cable protocol.

The terminal 100 is enclosed within a secure and tamper proof housing.The terminal 100 is designed to be rugged, element-resistant and can beused for both indoor and outdoor use. The indoor use may be part of anelectronic cash register (ECR) system 31. The outdoor use may includeits installation and use at a fuel pump 50 for pay at the pumpconvenience. The terminal 100 is configured and designed for use andincorporation into existing fuel pumps 50 by having a retrofit designcomprising the same configuration and dimensions as, for example, anexisting pump's secure card reader (SCR) 52 used to accept a magstripecard. The terminal's installation may be performed relatively quickly bydisconnecting the cabling from the legacy secure card reader 52,removing the screws or fasteners that secured the card reader 52 to thefuel pump 50, removing the unit 52, inserting the terminal 100,reconnecting the power cabling, and screwing the terminal 100 to thefuel pump using the same screws or fasteners. In one example, the legacycard reader 52 is secured by four Phillips screws, which may be reusedto affix the terminal 100 into the same opening left by the formersecure card reader 52. In this embodiment, the old card reader 52 andterminal 100 may be swapped using a single Phillips head screw driverand four screws.

A majority of gas stations are already equipped with existing securecard readers (SCR) 52 in the pump 50 to accept card payment. On its rearside, the terminal 100 has an insert, which may be a small insert thatis smaller than the opening left after removing an existing legacysecure card reader 52. In one embodiment the terminal's rear side insertis 72.83 mm×72.83 mm.

In another embodiment, the terminal 100 may utilize an insertion adaptorto allow the terminal 100 to retrofit into different types of existingpumps 50 having different sized openings left by various makes, modelsand forms of secure card readers 52. The terminal 100 may also include acanopy which acts as a visor or covering to provide further protectionagainst direct sunshine and allow the screen to be seen behind the shadecreated by the canopy. The canopy may extend the life of the displayscreen. Constant or continuous sunlight exposure can cause a fadingscreen, particularly when used outdoors as part of a fuel dispensersystem.

In addition to fitting the terminal 100 into the existing opening leftby the former secure card reader 52, the terminal 100 may also utilizethe existing wiring or cabling of the former reader 52 to obtain power.One embodiment of the invention utilizes the existing cabling from theformer secure card reader 52, thereby avoiding the need to rewire or runnew cables from the convenience store 10 to the outdoor fuel pump 50.

In many situations, the former legacy secure card reader 52 is wired tothe convenience store 10 and existing system using standard wiring, suchas USB, MDB, RS232, RS485, Ethernet or others. All of this cablingserves two critical functions with the secure card reader 52. First,they provide a power and ground to the secure card reader 52. Second,they provide the communications protocols and connectivity between thereader 52 and the forecourt controller 40. In the present invention, andin contrast, the terminal 100 communicates with the forecourt controller40 independent of the cabling. The terminal 100 uses wirelesscommunications to communicate with the in-store gateway device 200,which then communicates with the forecourt controller 40. Accordingly,the terminal 100 only needs to connect to the existing fuel pump cablingto receive power and a ground. As an example, the terminal 100 may haveports for receiving USB, MDB, RS232, RS485, Ethernet and other commonlyused cabling. In alternative embodiments, the terminal 100 has one ormore ports for receiving different cables for power, or may have fewerports and utilize adaptors, pigtails or other intermediary connectors.

In another embodiment, the terminal 100 may receive power from anothersource, such as solar, rechargeable batteries, or from another powersupply, such as a tap into a power source utilized by the fuel pump 50or its other peripherals 51. By using only the power and ground linesfrom the existing fuel pump's legacy cabling, the terminal 100 can beeasily retrofit into the pump 50 without needing to support the legacycommunications cable protocol.

In an alternative embodiment, in addition to relying on the legacycabling for power and ground only, the terminal 100 may use legacycabling that provide a protocol that supports TCP/IP, which includesEthernet, and wireless communication methods including Wi-Fi orBluetooth. In this configuration, the terminal 100 may communicate withthe cloud 99 which in turns communicate with the in-store gateway device200. The cloud 99 may be running in a remote server or a server onpremises inside the convenience store. When the cloud service is runningin a remote server it has the advantage of allowing the owner ofmultiple sites to have insights into what each site is doing inreal-time and be able to support troubleshooting remotely.

The invention also includes a gateway device, proxy or bridge device200, to be typically located in the convenience store 10. The gatewaydevice 200 enables communication and interfacing between one or moreterminals 100 and the forecourt controller 40. The gateway device 200serves as an intermediary between the forecourt controller 40 and theterminals 100. The gateway device 200 connects with the terminals 100and with the forecourt controller 40 to communicate between the two.Communication between the terminals 100, the gateway device 200, and theforecourt controller 40 may be via a physical network, such as a LAN, orwirelessly, via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G or any other known or conventionalwireless connectivity.

In one embodiment, the communications between and one or more of theterminals 100 and the gateway device 40 are conducted wirelessly via acloud services 99. The cloud services 99 may operate on a remote serveror a server located onsite at the convenience store 10. When the cloudservice 99 is running on a remote server, it has the advantage ofallowing the owner of multiple sites to have access to data and realtime information about each site and its fuel dispensing and paymentactivities. This may also facilitate remote support and troubleshooting.The cloud service 99 may also provide additional features such as aportal for management, a workflow engine for adding additional logics, areport engine and other management, accounting and network and systemstools, data collection, reporting and tracking.

A single gateway device 200 may also connect and interface with multipleterminals 100, including all terminals 100 and fuel pumps 50 in thestation's forecourt area. When using a cloud based or wirelessconnection between the gateway device 200 and the terminals 100, thegateway device 200 may remain in a listening mode and interact withterminals 100 upon their sending an initiation, wake-up or request tothe gateway device 200. The gateway device 200 and the terminals 100 mayalso include authentication and handshaking procedures and protocols toprevent hacking, tampering and unauthorized access. When first placed inuse, the gateway device 200 and terminals 100 may be paired.

Each terminal 100 communicates with the gateway device 200 to provideinformation necessary for the forecourt controller 40 to complete a fueldispensing transaction. This includes the same types of information thateach of a fuel pump's peripherals 51 may otherwise communicate directlyto the forecourt controller 40. This may include secure card paymentrequests and information, NFC and contactless card payments, cameraactivation and data, printer activation and receipt generation, andcontrolling the display 58. Of course, the forecourt controller 40 willutilize this information to facilitate fuel dispensing, including pump50 activation, fuel tracking, tank pumping and activation, anddisplaying dispensing information on the display 58.

The forecourt controller 40 communicates with the gateway device 200 asif it were communicating with the legacy fuel dispensing peripherals 51directly. In this embodiment, the forecourt controller 40 interfaceswith the gateway device 100 via the same peripheral communicationsprotocols. As is the case with the legacy system, the forecourtcontroller 40 communicates with the back office system 20 regardingpayment transactions, fuel dispensing, quantities and other customertransaction and fuel dispensing data and information.

The gateway device 200 communicates with the forecourt controller 40using the same communications methods and protocols as the conveniencestores electronic cash registers 31 and/or point of sale systems 30. Asexplained above, the forecourt controller 40 communicates with thevarious POS systems 30 for customers paying inside for fuel dispensing.Each electronic cash register 31 is capable of initiating a fuel pump 50transaction, with payment using the electronic cash register's paymentdevice and then communicating with the forecourt controller 40 to assignthe outdoor pump 50 and effectuate the transaction and fuel pumping. Thegateway device 200 communicates with the forecourt control 40 using thesame authentication, handshaking, communications, requests and protocolsas the point of sale system 30 and electronic cash registers 31. In thisembodiment, no customization, replacement or additional program may berequired of the forecourt controller 40. Instead, the gateway device 200interfaces and interacts with the forecourt controller 40 as if it isprocessing and requesting fuel dispensing transactions as an in-storepurchase or pay inside fuel transaction through the ECR's 31. Thegateway device 200 communicates with the forecourt controller 40 usingthe forecourt controller's 40 existing interface, protocols andfunctionality. In this configuration, the terminal 100 handles thepayment processing in the same manner as the electronic cash register 31and its payment terminal, and communicates with the forecourt controller40 regarding that transaction and to request activation and control ofthe fuel pump 50 for the customer to pump the gas and complete thetransaction. According to this embodiment, there is no need forcustomized integration between the terminal 100 or gateway device 200and the forecourt controller 40, so retrofitting existing systems iseasily accomplished.

With this system, the forecourt controller 40 continues to control andoperate the various fuel dispenser's peripherals 51 to facilitate gaspumping as if the card payment transaction conducted at the terminal 100in the forecourt area were consummated within the convenience store 10as a pay inside transaction with the electronic cash register 31 and/orpoint of sale system 30. A preferred embodiment of the gateway device200 has at least the following components: a processing unit 201including one or more microprocessors, RAM, ROM and storage, acommunications module 202, one or more antennae 203, a power module 204,a programmable input module 205, and a forecourt controller interface206, as shown in FIG. 6 .

The gateway device 200 includes a processing unit 201 for controlling,managing and operating the gateway device's 200 components and providingprocessing and computing services for the gateway device's 200 operationand processing of communications between one or more of the terminals100 in the forecourt area and the forecourt controller 40. Theprocessing unit 201 may include one or more microprocessors andassociated RAM 201A for working memory, ROM 201B containing firmware andinstructions, and local storage 201C for storing related data andinformation. The processing unit 201 may include other circuitrynecessary for the operation of components and modules. The storage maybe of any type, including flash memory, a hard drive, or additional RAM.The storage may be local or remote, such as cloud-based 99. Data andinformation stored in the terminal 100, and particularly if storedremotely, may be encrypted by the terminal's encryption module 105.

The processing unit 201 also provides computing and processing forfacilitating communications between each terminal 100 and the forecourtcontroller 40. The processing unit 201 contains the coding andinstructions for listening for and receiving instructions from one ormore terminals 100 via the gateway device's communications module 202,processing that information and data and sending correspondinginstructions to the forecourt controller 40 in a format and using theprotocols of an electronic cash register 31 and point of sale system 30providing pay inside or pay at the pump fuel dispensing purchases andtransactions. Payment processing is handled by each terminal 100independently of the gateway device 200. Accordingly, no certificationis required for the gateway device 200.

The gateway device 200 or its processing unit 201 may also include aprogrammable input module 205 for updating the firmware, ROM or othercoding of the terminal 100. This may include a port, such as a USB portwith added security protocols to avoid tampering. The gateway device 200and processing unit 201 may also be programmed remotely or wirelesslyusing the same communications methods as those to communicate with theterminal 100 or forecourt controller 40.

The gateway device 200 includes a communications module 202 forproviding communication services between each terminal 100 and thegateway device 200. The communications module 202 interfaces with theprocessing unit 201 to facilitate outbound and inbound communications.Communications with the terminal 100 may be conducted wirelessly, suchas via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G or any other wireless communicationprotocols or systems. The communications module 202 may use one or moreantennae 203 for conducting wireless communications. The antenna 203 mayalternatively be a separate module of the terminal 100 or incorporatedinto the communications module 202. In an alternative embodiment, thecommunications module 202 and/or antennae 203 may be incorporated intothe processing unit 201.

The communications module 202 may also communicate using wired orphysical connections in addition to, or in lieu of wirelesscommunications. As an example, the gateway device 200 may have aphysical connection to another device that provides network connectivityor connections to the terminal 100. In another embodiment, the physicalconnection may be to a router or other device that provides wirelesscommunications or WAN or other network or internet access.

The communications module 202 may also provide communication servicesbetween the gateway device 200 and the forecourt controller 40. If thecommunications module 202 is used for communications between the gatewaydevice 200 and the forecourt controller 40, then such communicationswith the forecourt controller 40 will be transmitted, received andconducted using the same communications, formats and protocols as thoseused by the convenience store's point of sale system 30 and electroniccash registers 31, or, if the forecourt controller 40 allows foralternative communications interfaces, then also by using any such otherprotocols, formats or means of communicating or interfacing as providedby the forecourt controller 40. It will be known by those of ordinaryskill in the art that electronic cash registers 31, payment devices andpoint of sale systems 30 may communicate with forecourt controllers 40in a number of ways, whether wirelessly or using cabled or physicalconnections.

In an alternative embodiment, the communications between the gatewaydevice 200 and the forecourt controller 40 are provided by a forecourtcontroller interface 206 included as a component of the gateway device40 rather than by using the communications module 202. The forecourtcontroller interface 206 may be an interface specific to certain makes,models or types of forecourt controllers 40, or for forecourtcontrollers 40 that cannot interface or communicate using thecommunications module 202. It will be known by those of ordinary skillin the art to incorporate or configure a forecourt controller interface206 to communicate with a forecourt controller 40 in the same way ascommunications between the forecourt controller 40 and electronic cashregisters 31, payment devices and point of sale systems 30. The gatewaydevice 200 also includes a power module 204 for receiving power tooperate the gateway device 200 including the processing unit 201 and itsother components and modules.

Installation of the present invention into an existing or legacy systemof a convenience store 10 and the fuel pumps 50 of its fuel dispensingislands is relatively quick and can be performed incrementally. Theinvention requires installation of the gateway device 200 and at leastone terminal 100. Terminals 100 may be installed into one or more of theexisting forecourt area's fuel pumps 50. The housing of an existing fuelpump 50 is opened and its existing secure card reader 52 is disconnectedfrom its cabling and then removed. In many cases, the secure card reader52 may be removed using a single Phillips screw driver and the fourscrews fastening the device to the fuel pump 50. The terminal 100 isthen inserted into the opening left by the removed legacy secure cardreader 52. Since the terminal 100 is structured to have the same formfactor as the old card reader 52, there is no need to cut, alter ordamage the existing fuel pump's 50 housing or enclosure. The existingpower cabling from the legacy card reader 52 is connected to one of theports or adapters on the rear side of the terminal 100. As explainedabove, in one embodiment the terminal 100 only uses the cabling forpower and ground because all other communications are conductedwirelessly with the gateway device 40, such as by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a4G network. Once connected, the terminal 100 is fastened to the fuelpump 50 using the same screws and form factor as the legacy card reader52. The fuel pump 50 may then be closed and the terminal 100 is readyfor use.

The gateway device 200 may be installed within the convenience store 10,such as in the same secure area as the forecourt controller 40 orelsewhere. Because the gateway device 200 communicates with theforecourt controller 40 using the same communications methods as thepoint of sale system 30 and electronic cash registers 31, it may belocated or setup in similar fashion. The gateway device 200 and eachterminal 100 may require an initial setup that involves authentication,handshaking and other protocols to confirm a secure and verifiedconnection between them. When first placed in use, the gateway device200 and the forecourt controller 40 may be paired. Similarly, thegateway device 200 is authenticated and setup for communication and usewith the forecourt controller 40 using the same protocols as each pointof sale system 30 and electronic cash register 31. As explained above,the forecourt controller 40 “sees” the gateway device 200 as anotherpoint of sale system 30 or electronic cash register 31 and is configuredfor such use.

As can be seen from the descriptions and installation summaries above,the present invention works with any fuel dispensing systems thatutilize conventional fuel dispensing pumps 50 and peripherals 51. Insome cases, installation can be completed within thirty minutes byreplacing one fuel pump's 50 existing secure card reader 52 with aterminal 100 that replaces several of the existing peripherals 51 andinstalling the gateway device 200 within the convenience store 10. Thepresent invention requires no new wiring and utilizes existingperipheral cabling to supply power and ground to the terminal 100. Thepresent invention may be implemented by fueling stations withoutreplacing, updated or modifying existing point of sale systems 30, backoffice systems 20, fuel pumps 50 or forecourt controllers 40. Fuelingstations can test or roll out the present invention in phases or byrunning a pilot test on one or two fuel pumps 50 or islands at a time.Fueling stations that adopt the present invention will not risk weeks ofdowntime and associated revenue losses or the high costs of replacingcomplete fueling systems. Notably, a fueling station may quickly andeasily revert to its legacy systems if the present invention fails tocorrectly operate or is unsatisfactory.

Attached as FIGS. 7 and 8 are two sequence diagrams that provideexamples of ways a pay at the pump transaction may take place inaccordance with the present invention. These two figures provide asample of the flows. The flows and sequences can change easily dependingupon the fuel pumps 50, forecourt controller 40, gateway device 200, theterminal 100 and/or the cloud services 99. Changes or differences in anyof those components or their setup can alter the sequence and flow.

In the two example diagrams attached as FIGS. 7 and 8 , the block nameshave the following meanings in accordance with this description:

-   -   POS (Pump)=the fuel pump and its peripherals    -   Fusion=the forecourt controller    -   Bridge=the in-store gateway device/proxy    -   Quantum Petro=the cloud service providing wireless communication        between the terminal and in-store gateway device/proxy    -   IM20=a terminal    -   Host=the payment processor

The sequence diagram of FIG. 7 depicts a card payment transaction usingthe terminal at the fuel dispenser, wherein upon presentment of thepayment card, whether by swiping, EMV or contactless payment, theterminal's 100 payment processing software communicates directly withthe payment processor 98 to submit a pre-authorization request and toreceive a corresponding response and approval from the payment processor98. Upon receipt of the response and approval, the terminal 100wirelessly communicates that response, via the cloud 99 to the gatewaydevice 200 which communicates a corresponding authorize and lockedsuccess to the forecourt controller 40. The forecourt controller 40 thencommunicates to fuel pump peripheral 51 a status change that pumping isauthorized. The forecourt controller 40 communicates to the terminal 100via the gateway device 200 that the nozzle is down. The gateway devicecommunicates via the cloud 99 to the terminal 100 to display a “removenozzle” instruction. Upon the customer activating the fuel pump 50, thefuel pump peripheral 51 communicates to the forecourt controller 40 thatthe fuel nozzle has been lifted or is “up.” Corresponding communicationsare sent back to the terminal 100 via the gateway device 200 and cloud99. Similarly, the forecourt controller 40 communicates with terminal100 via the cloud 99 and gateway device 200 to instruct the terminal 100to display “begin fueling.” The fuel pump 50 instructs the terminal 100to display the notice “fueling . . . ”, and the fuel pump 50 instructsthe terminal 100 to display the instruction “replace nozzle when done.”

The fuel pump peripheral 51 and forecourt controller 40 acknowledge astate change that shows the nozzle has been replaced or fueling stoppedby the customer. This causes the forecourt controller 40 to initiate twoseparate communications via the gateway device 200 to the cloud 99 tothe terminal 100. The first communicates that fueling has finished. Thesecond communications concern a “capture” instruction to finalize thepayment and transaction. The terminal 100 receives this instruction andissues a captured request to the payment processor 98. The paymentprocesser 99 returns a capture response approving the sale, which iscommunicated back to the forecourt controller 40. The forecourtcontroller 40 then communicates to the fuel pump 50 to clear thetransaction, and back and forth communications are delivered between theterminal 100 and the forecourt controller 40 via the cloud 99 andgateway device 200 to prompt the customer whether to print a receipt andthen having the forecourt controller 40 instruct the printer peripheral55 to do so.

FIG. 8 depicts a similar sequence diagram showing a fuel dispensingtransaction, the difference being that the transaction is pre-paid inthis example.

The fuel dispensing terminal 100 and proxy system 200 and method may befurther improved by providing redundancy among the terminal 100, thegateway 200 and the cloud service 99 so that card payment transactionsmay be processed by one or more of those components in the eventcommunications with one or more of them is lost or interrupted or if anyof them suffer an equipment failure or other interruption. As explainedabove, the terminal 100 communicates with a payment processor 98 forprocessing card payment transactions. Should communications beinterrupted, lost or unavailable between the terminal 100 and a paymentprocessor 98, use of the fuel dispenser 56 is disrupted becausecustomers may no longer enter into fueling transactions using paymentcards. This effectively renders the fuel pump 50 and dispenser 56useless as customer may no longer pay at the pump 50, resulting in aloss of business for extended periods.

Additionally, and as explained above, if communications between theterminal 100 and the payment processer 98 are interrupted in the middleof a customer's fueling transaction, the card payment transaction mayhave been pre-authorized, without the ability to conduct areconciliation and obtain post-authorization and settlement, whichinvolves the terminal 100 reporting the final transaction amount to thepayment processor 98 along with pre-authorization and other requiredtransaction information, to finalize the card payment transaction.Accordingly, the present invention may include redundancy that providesmore than one method of facilitating communication and paymentprocessing between the terminal 100 and the payment processor 98. Thisredundancy includes the terminal 100 having multiple methods ofcommunication directly and indirectly with a payment processor 98 andsharing card payment and transaction information with the gateway/proxy200 and cloud 99 so that those other components may handle, take-over orcomplete a card payment transaction in the event the terminal 100 isunable to do so. Similarly, the gateway/proxy 200 and cloud 99 may alsohave multiple communications methods, direct and indirect, with eachother and the terminal 100, such that they also may receive and possessthe card payment and transaction information and handle, take-over, orcomplete a card payment transaction in the event that the terminal 100or any other components are unable to do so.

As explained above, the terminal 100 is dependent upon a functioningnetwork or Internet connection, such as a cell or Wi-Fi connection or aphysical connection in order to facilitate communications. If theconnection to the cloud 99 is down, then the pump 50 is down as there isno way to process card payments entered at the terminal 100.

In another embodiment, the terminal 100 may have multiple communicationsmodules or a communications module 108 that provides multiplecommunication methods. As explained above, the terminal 100 stores andprocesses transaction data for payment processing and communicatesdirectly with the third party payment processor 98 for facilitatingpayment, obtaining pre- and post-authorizations and other paymentprocessing functions.

With respect to the terminal 100, as explained above, the terminal 100communicates with the in-store gateway/proxy 200 and with third partypayment processors 98. Those communications may be handled by a singleconnection that may be wireless, such as via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wide areaWireless such as 4G LTE or any other wireless communication protocols orsystems, or a physical or a wired connection, such as TCP/IP, whichincludes Ethernet or any other conventional or known type of physicalconnection. The terminal 100 may also utilize an alternativecommunication means such as a modem for communicating with a paymentprocessor or the internet using a dial-up service. Each of thesealternatives, back-ups and redundancy may be utilized by the system'sother components to prevent lost connections and disruptions in theirservices, such as by the gateway/proxy 200 and the cloud service 99.

In one embodiment, the terminal 100 may have a single network connectionthat may be used for transmitting and receiving communications betweenthe terminal 100 and both the gateway/proxy 200 and the paymentprocessor 98. If a single form of communication is used, the system hasa single point of failure, whereby if that communication link is down,the fuel dispenser 56 and pump 50 are down because of the terminal'sinability to communicate with either the gateway/proxy 200 or thepayment processor 98. The system is dependent upon communication betweenthe terminal 100 and the other components. To avoid having a singlepoint of failure, the terminal 100 may have one or more back-up,stand-by or co-existing connections, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wide areaWireless and/or a wired or physical connection, so that one or more ofthem may be used if another is down or inaccessible. The terminal 100may also utilize an alternative communication means such as a modem forcommunicating with a payment processor 98 or the internet using adial-up service. Providing multiple communications connections preventsdowntime if one of them is unavailable or lost. In another embodiment,the terminal 100 may allocate which communications connections are usedfor communicating with the gateway/proxy 200 and the payment processor98. They may share connections, be allocated or assigned separateconnections, or multiple connections may be used or shared. Again, eachof these alternatives, back-ups and redundancies may be utilized by thesystem's other components, such as in the gateway/proxy 200 and thecloud service 98.

In another embodiment, for example, the terminal 100 may communicatewith the gateway/proxy 200 via a local Wi-Fi, physical or other networkconnection such as a router used with the convenience store 10. Thatrouter may provide a local connection between the terminal 100 and thegateway/proxy 200, and may also provide internet access. The terminal100 may also be configured to utilize such a local network forcommunication with the gateway/proxy 200, directly, and utilize aseparate connection for communicating with the payment processor 98and/or the cloud service 99. In this arrangement, the terminal 100 mayhave multiple methods of communicating with the gateway/proxy200—directly via the local connection, or indirectly through the cloudservice 99. Any combination may be used, but recognizing that the morecommunications utilize a shared communication connection, the greaterthe risk of a single point of failure and inability for the terminal 100to communicate with the other components—the cloud service 99, paymentprocessor 98 and/or gateway/proxy 200 in the event that connection isdisrupted or fails.

As also explained above, communications between the terminal 100 and thegateway/proxy 200 and/or payment processor 98 may be indirectlyconducted, such as through a cloud service 99. As an example, theterminal 100 may communicate with a single cloud service 99 thatcommunicates with the gateway/proxy 200 and/or payment processor 98,such that communications to and from the terminal 100 to either of thoseother components may be sent and received from the same cloud service99, or from multiple or different cloud services 99.

In addition to having multiple communications connections between theterminal 100 and the gateway/proxy 200, payment processor 98 and/orcloud service 99, redundancy may be provided in two additional ways.First, the terminal 100, gateway proxy 200, payment processor 98 and/orcloud service 99 may each have one or more communications connectionsbetween them, such that if communication by one component is lost, theothers remain in communication. Second, the terminal 100 may transmitand share card payment and transaction information with thegateway/proxy 200 and/or cloud service 98 so that either or both of themmay perform the card payment transaction functions and operations of theterminal 100 should the terminal 100 be unable to communicate with thepayment processor 98 or is otherwise unable to operate. As part of thisredundancy, the cloud service 99 and gateway/proxy 200 may possess thesame card payment processing functionality as the terminal 100, suchthat either or both of those components can process card paymenttransactions in the even the terminal 100 loses that ability. This isexplained in further detail below.

In connection with a customer's card payment transaction and fueling,the terminal 100 collects and stores the card payment and transactioninformation, including any pre-authorization and post-authorizationprocessing with the payment processor 98. The card payment informationis encrypted and stored by the terminal 100 in an encrypted form uponcollecting that information from the payment card. Upon collecting thattransaction and card payment information, the terminal 100 maysimultaneously share that information with either or both of thegateway/proxy 200 and the cloud service 99. Using this “store andforward” information, all card payment and transaction data issimultaneously stored by the terminal 100 and transmitted to and storedby the gateway/proxy 200 and the cloud 99 for redundancy. Thegateway/proxy 200 and cloud 99 may also be mirroring that informationand data and standing by to step in and process card payments with apayment processor 98 using that information and data in the event theterminal 100 loses its ability to communicate with the payment processor98 or is otherwise unable to operate. Because the terminal 100 securelyencrypts the card payment information before storing it and forwardingit to the gateway/proxy 200 and cloud 99, that data and information isalways and only maintained by the system in encrypted form. Thecommunication and storage of that information among the variouscomponents in its securely encrypted format enables the system tomaintain PCI compliance even though the card payment information may bestored at multiple locations—the terminal 100, gateway/proxy 200 and thecloud 99.

Similarly, since the gateway/proxy 200, cloud service 99 and terminal100 are in communication with each other, if the card payment andtransaction information is transmitted to either the gateway/proxy 200or the cloud 99, then either of those components may similarly store andforward that information between them, so that each component may,independently or in combination with the terminal 100, verify that allthree components received, stored and are capable of processing the sameinformation. In another embodiment, each of the components maysimultaneously, store and forward the information with one another aspart of an authentication or verification process so that each componentauthenticates and verifies with one another that they received theidentical information. These sharing and verification processes may alsobe used by the components to confirm they are and remain incommunication with one another and that each of the components ison-line, communicating, and properly functioning.

The terminal 100, gateway/proxy 200 and/or cloud service 99 may alsoutilize listening or monitoring modes to monitor and verify that each ofthe other components remains on-line and in communication. If one of thecomponents detects that one of the other components is no longeron-line, in operation or communicating, it may notify the othercomponents or take the stored information and data to take-over andfacilitate a new or in-process card payment transaction, therebyproviding redundancy.

One of the challenge in the past is that any time a new software and/ortransaction processing library (“EMV Kernel”) and/or hardware is used tomanipulate the transaction data, the entire system will have to gothrough a lengthy certification process. In accordance with the presentinvention, all the nodes that manipulate the transaction data are allsharing the same EMV Kernel and running on the same secure hardware withthe same payment software both for the point-of-entry, in the bridge200, and in the cloud 99. This result in significant saving both in timeand money by only having to perform the payment certification only oncewith each third party payment processors 98.

As mentioned above, the cloud service 99 and the gateway/proxy 200 maysimilarly contain the necessary software, hardware, equipment and/orapplications to conduct card payment transactions with third partypayment processors 98. For example, the gateway/proxy's 200 processor,storage and other components may be programmed to provide these cardpayment services so that it contains the same card payment functionalityas the terminal 100. In another embodiment, the gateway/proxy 200 may beconnected to a separate auxiliary payment terminal, like the terminal100 installed at the fuel pump 50 or like an auxiliary payment terminalused by a point of sale system 30 or electronic cash register 31 r, forprocessing payments using the data transmitted from the terminal 100 tothe gateway/proxy 200. The cloud service 99 similarly may have thisfunctionality, either by programming the cloud service's hardware,software, equipment and/or applications, by using an auxiliary paymentterminal, such as a terminal similar to the one installed at the fuelpump 50, or an auxiliary payment terminal similar to those utilized byan electronic cash register 31. By including card payment processingfunctionality with the gateway/proxy 200 and/or cloud 99, either ofthose components is capable of processing a card payment transaction inthe event the terminal 100 is unable to. This provides redundancy, forexample, in the event the terminal 100 is unable to process a cardpayment for any reason, such whether because communications between theterminal 100 and the payment processor 98 is lost, or if the terminal100 has a hardware or equipment malfunction that prevents the processingof card payment transactions. According to this embodiment, the terminal100 may collect the card payment and transaction information, forwardthat information to the gateway/proxy 200 and/or cloud 99 for processingby either of those components rather than the terminal 100. Of course,the terminal 100 will receive the transaction progress and resultingdata and information so that it may complete the customer's fuelingtransaction, including displaying whether the card payment wassuccessful and provide a printed receipt. This system is capable ofproviding multiple redundancies, such that the system provides theability to process card payment transactions from at least threedifferent components that may be located at three different locations.Additionally, the gateway/proxy 200 and cloud service 99 may providemultiple methods for processing payments. For example, the cloud service99 may have several auxiliary payment terminals, such that multipleauxiliary payment terminals are available and on stand-by to processcard payment transactions sent by the terminal 100. The gateway/proxy200 may similarly have multiple auxiliary payment terminals or methodsof processing card payments. The gateway/proxy 200 may also be capableof utilizing existing auxiliary payment terminals associated with any ofthe convenience store's electronic cash registers 31 or POS system 30.

When the gateway/proxy 200, terminal 100 and cloud service 99 allcommunicate with one another and monitor each other's communications andoperations status, they may utilize procedures and processes forassuring that card payment transactions are processed and completedwithout interruption. This redundancy can also facilitate communicationsbetween the terminal 100, gateway/proxy 200 and the cloud service 99.Communications between any two of those components may be shared withthe third component. For example, if the terminal 100 loses itsconnection to the gateway/proxy 200, it may communicate with thegateway/proxy 200 through the cloud service 99, which may store andforward those communications to the gateway/proxy 200, and thegateway/proxy 200 may communicate back to the terminal 100 via the cloudservice 99 in a similar manner. Similarly, the terminal 100 may use thegateway/proxy 200 to communicate with the cloud service 99 if theterminal 100 loses its connection to the cloud service 99. Card paymenttransactions may be processed with this redundancy in accordance withthe following example:

A consumer swipes or inserts a payment card via the terminal 100 toinitiate a fuel transaction and card payment. If communications areavailable between the terminal 100 and the gateway/proxy 200 (whethersuch communications occur directly between the two components orindirectly via the cloud service 99), and between the terminal 100 andthe payment processor 98, then the transaction proceeds without the needfor redundancy or use of the back-up or standby processes explainedabove. The terminal 100 transmits the card payment and initialtransaction information to the payment processor 98 and obtains apre-authorization. This information is shared by the terminal 100 withthe gateway/proxy 200 and cloud service 99 for storage and potential useand processing in the event the terminal 100 is down or losescommunication. The consumer may begin fueling and, upon completion, theterminal 100 communicates with the payment processor 98 to complete thepayment transaction and obtain post-authorization. Completion of thecard payment transaction includes the terminal 100 transmitting to thepayment processor 98 information referencing the pre-authorization, thefinal transaction amount, and any other necessary information requiredby the payment processor. The terminal 100 transmits and shares thisinformation with the cloud service 99 and gateway/proxy 200 where it isstored in the event the terminal 100 is down or loses communication. Thesharing of this information by the terminal 100 may also serve to notifythe cloud service 99 and gateway/proxy 200 that the card paymenttransaction was completed and so those components may store thetransaction records.

However, if the terminal 100 is unable to process the card payment,whether because its communications with the payment processor 98 islost, or because of a hardware, software or equipment malfunction thatprevents its ability to process card payments, it may still communicatethe card payment information and transaction data to the cloud 99 andthe gateway/proxy 200, and either of them may process the card paymenttransaction in the manner set forth above and provide the results to theterminal 100.

In the event that the terminal 100 is able to initiate a card paymenttransaction but loses its connection or ability to complete thetransaction during the customer's fueling transaction, such as if theterminal 100 loses the ability to complete processing the payment afterit successfully obtained pre-authorization and the customer commencedfueling, either the gateway/proxy 200 or the cloud service 99 willcomplete the transaction since the terminal 100 shares the card paymentand transaction information with the gateway/proxy 200 and cloud service99, which sharing may occur in real-time or simultaneous with collectingor storing that information within the terminal 100 locally, and/orsimultaneously when transmitting and receiving communications with thepayment processor 98. Alternatively, the transaction information andpre-authorization may be stored in the terminal 100, cloud service 99and/or gateway/proxy 200 in a batch, for conducting batch processing andsettlement with the payment processor 98 as part of a reconciliation.The batch data may be stored in the terminal 100, the gateway/proxy 200and the cloud 99 so that any of those components may process the batchand complete settlement and reconciliation in accordance with thepayment processor's procedures and requirements.

As part of the communications between the various components and thepayment processing 98 and/or the other components, should one of thosecommunications connections be lost or interrupted, the affectedcomponent may attempt to complete the communications using one or moreof their alternate, back-up or stand-by communications abilities, suchas a back-up Wi-Fi connection, Wide area Wireless, a dial-up modem, oran existing physical connection. Ideally, each component will continueperforming and communicating before those responsibilities are handledby one of the other components via the redundancy explained above.

In another embodiment, the cloud service 99 or gateway/proxy 200 maymanage or provide oversight of the redundancy and determine whichcomponent will conduct the processing in the event the terminal 100 isunable to process card payment transactions. In accordance with thisembodiment, if the terminal 100 cannot process the card payment, thenthe gateway/proxy 200 may be assigned as the first backup device toperform the payment processing on behalf of the terminal 100. If thegateway/proxy 200 is also unable to process the transaction, then thecloud service 99 may process the card payment as the second backupdevice. Again, each of the components may learn of the other component'sinability from the down component directly, from one of the othercomponents, or from its inability to communicate with the downcomponent.

Similarly, and in accordance with this embodiment, if the terminal 100is able to commence the card payment transaction, such as by obtaining apre-authorization from the payment processor 98, and then loses theability to communicate with the payment processer 98 to finalize thetransaction, then the gateway/proxy 200 may be assigned as the firstbackup device to complete the payment processing on behalf of theterminal 100. If the gateway/proxy 200 is also unable to completeprocessing of the transaction, then the cloud service 99 may completethe payment processing as the second backup device. Each of thecomponents may learn of the other component's inability based from thedown component directly, from one of the other components, or from itsinability to communicate with the down component. By communicating withand storing the information provided by the terminal 100, thegateway/proxy 200 and cloud service 99 may also monitor all paymenttransactions to confirm they were successfully processed.

Likewise, this redundancy can also be utilized to complete apost-authorization and settlement with a payment processor 98 in theevent one of the other components obtained the pre-authorization and afueling transaction has commenced. For example, if the pre-authorizationwas obtained by the terminal 100 or the gateway/proxy 200, and neitherof those components was capable of completing the transaction andobtained a post-authorization, the cloud service 99 may perform thosetasks as part of redundant system.

Using this redundancy, the cloud service 99 and/or gateway/proxy 200 mayalso notify the convenience store manager of communications disruptions,down components and any inabilities to complete a card paymenttransaction. In one embodiment, the cloud service 99 may include theability to notify the store manager, a third party, or a designatedrecipient of the system's status, down communications or equipment, orof any issues or inability to process card payment transactions. Thecloud service 99 may communicate this information using any conventionalmethods, such as electronic mail, SMS test messaging, notification to anelectronic cash register 31 or point of sale system 30. The cloudservice 99 or gateway/proxy 200 may also provide a dashboard thatprovides uptime, statistical and other data and analytics about thesystem's operation, where it may indicate or report this information.

In another embodiment, the cloud service 99 may report that the terminal100 or gateway/proxy 200 is down, of if either is unable to processpayment transactions, or having any other issues. This way, a storemanager may be alerted about any system components not operatingproperly so they may be repaired or communications restored while thesystem is still functioning using the redundancy described herein.

The cloud service 99 may also provide notifications in the event of thesystem's complete inability to process a card payment transaction. Forexample, the store manager may be alerted that immediate attention isrequired because all redundant systems have failed and card paymentscannot be accepted or processed. In the case of the system obtaining apre-authorization with the occurrence of a subsequent disruption to allcommunications or to the equipment that prevents completion of thetransaction or obtaining post-authorization from the payment processor98, the cloud service 99 may provide the notification described above sothat the pending and pre-authorized transaction may be completedmanually. As an example, upon receiving the notification, the storemanager may access and retrieve the pre-authorization and in-progresstransaction information either from the cloud service 99 or thegateway/proxy 200, where it was redundantly stored, and manuallycomplete the transaction, such as by calling the payment processor 98and seeking the post-authorization over the telephone, or via theinternet at the payment processor's website, or using a dial-up modem orother communication means. Because the transaction information isredundantly stored in the cloud service 99 and the gateway/proxy 200,the manager can retrieve the pre-authorization data necessary tomanually reference, identify and complete the transaction, and to alsoretrieve the fuel purchase transaction information, including the numberof gallons pumped, final price, and time and date.

In addition to the foregoing, an additional level of redundancy may alsobe provided by the system including one or more backup or stand-bygateways/proxies. In this embodiment, two or more gateways/proxies maybe present, but only one of them may be active and utilized inaccordance with the present invention. The non-active gateways/proxiesmay operate in a “silent” or mirroring mode and collect, store, monitorand gather all the information received from the primary or activegateway/proxy 200, ready to operate and stand-in for the activegateway/proxy 200 in the even it suffers a communication, network orequipment failure. The cloud service 99 may maintain a table containingthe identity of the primary and secondary gateways/proxies. Eachgateway/proxy may be assigned a unique IP address. If the cloud service99 detects that the primary gateway/proxy 200 is down, unavailable ornot properly operating, it may designate one of the secondarygateways/proxies as the primary and notify the terminal to transmit andreceive communications from that secondary gateway/proxy in lieu of theprimary. As explained above, the terminal 100, gateway/proxy 200 andcloud service 99 are all in communication, which enables the cloudservice 99 to listen and/or monitor the gateway/proxy 200 and its properoperations.

Another advantage of the present invention is that transaction recordsmay be stored in multiple locations, such as in the terminal 100, cloud99 and gateway/proxy 200 securely because they all utilize the samehardware-based secure elements. With this redundancy in stored data, theconvenience store management or representatives may retrieve and reviewtransaction data from any of these locations, particularly if one ormore of them are inaccessible or suffer a data loss or equipmentfailure.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations setforth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure.Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. Thetrue scope and definition of the invention therefore is to be as setforth in the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A fueling station payment system comprising: a fuel pumpdispensing fuel to individual customers; a forecourt controller; aterminal disposed within said fuel pump, said terminal comprising aprocessing unit, a memory, a secure card reader, an encryption moduleand a wireless communication module, wherein said memory hascomputer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed bysaid processing unit, cause said terminal to execute a paymentapplication for facilitating payment transactions; said terminal beingin wireless communication with a payment processor via said wirelesscommunication module such that encrypted secure payment information istransmitted directly between said terminal and said payment processor tocomplete said payment transactions by encrypting data directly usingsaid encryption module such that said processing unit completes saidpayment transactions without communicating with said forecourtcontroller, wherein said payment transactions comprise paymentauthorization; said terminal being in wireless communication with acloud such that said encrypted secure payment information is transmittedbetween said terminal through said cloud; one or more point of salesystems which communicate with said forecourt controller usingestablished protocols; and a gateway device, wherein said terminalcommunicates wirelessly with said gateway device, and wherein saidterminal and said forecourt controller communicate with each otherthrough said gateway device to complete fuel dispensing, and whereinsaid gateway device communicates with said forecourt controller usingsaid established protocols of said point of sale systems.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein said terminal further comprises a display, anantenna, a power module, and a PIN pad.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein said wireless communication between said terminal and saidpayment processor and between said terminal and said gateway deviceoccurs over the Internet through said cloud.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein said gateway device comprises a processing unit, acommunications module and a forecourt controller interface.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein said gateway device further comprises a powermodule, an antenna and a programmable input module.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said fuel pump further comprises a gas dispenser, aprinter, a PIN pad and a display all of which are in directcommunication with said forecourt controller.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein said terminal communicates with at least one of said paymentprocesser, said gateway device and said cloud wirelessly over at leasttwo wireless connections chosen from the group of wireless connectionsconsisting of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Wide area Wireless.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said terminal communicates with at least one of saidpayment processer, said gateway device and said cloud over at least onewireless connection and one wired connection.
 9. The system of claim 2,wherein said terminal communicates with each of said payment processer,said gateway device and said cloud over at least two wirelessconnections chosen from the group of wireless connections consisting ofWi-Fi, Bluetooth and Wide area Wireless.
 10. The system of claim 2,wherein said terminal communicates with each of said payment processer,said gateway device and said cloud over at least one wireless connectionand one wired connection.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein saidgateway device is also in wireless communication with said paymentprocessor.
 12. The system of claim 2, wherein said gateway device andsaid cloud are also in wireless communication with said paymentprocessor.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein said terminal, saidgateway device and said cloud communicate with each other wirelessly.14. The system of claim 13, wherein said terminal, said gateway deviceand said cloud communicate with each other wirelessly over at least twowireless connections chosen from the group of wireless connectionsconsisting of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Wide area Wireless.
 15. The system ofclaim 12, wherein said terminal, said gateway device and said cloudcommunicate with each other over one wired connection and at least onewireless connection chosen from the group of wireless connectionsconsisting of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Wide area Wireless.
 16. The system ofclaim 14, wherein said communication is redundant such that ifcommunication fails between any two of said terminal, said gatewaydevice and said cloud, communication continues between the others ofsaid terminal, said gateway device and said cloud.
 17. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising a secure and tamper proof housing, whereinsaid terminal is arranged inside said secure and tamper proof housing.18. The system of claim 1, wherein said terminal is certified forfacilitating said payment transactions.
 19. The system of claim 1,wherein said terminal is certified for Payment Card Industry (PCI);Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV); or near field communication (NFC)payment transactions.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein said terminalfurther comprises a camera, and wherein said memory has furthercomputer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed bysaid processing unit, cause said terminal to receive images captured bythe camera, and perform facial recognition, surveillance, bar codescanning, or quick response (QR) code scanning based on said capturedimages.